Problems from Billy Boat Exhaust?

[McFluffybunny]

Just trying to get some feedback from the world.

I ordered a Billy Boat exhaust from the BBE site on Sept 14th. There site says "ships in 5-7 BDs". I have been contacting them and keep getting the same story... It's in production, we had issues in the shop, we don't know where it is. I called today and cancelled it to find out they are going to charge a 20% ($270) restock fee for something I don't know has been made!!! Is this how they work or am I just getting hosed?

Next question... who makes a good sounding exhaust?

[Ozzie]

I don't have any knowledge on consumer law in the US. You might get a better answer by googling consumer laws, and checking for differences in your state, and the state the supplier is based in.
I did find this under their "terms of use" tab.
"8. GOVERNING LAW
Any claim relating to Billy Boat Exhaust’s web site shall be governed by the laws of the State of Arizona without regard to its conflict of law provisions."

Also found this under "warranty information"
"CLAIMS, RETURNS, AND CANCELLATIONS
No returns will be accepted without prior authorization and a return authorization number. No refunds will be issued for product returned without prior return authorization number. All claims must be made within 7 days or re­ceipt of goods. All defective products must be returned within 30 days after an RGA is issued. Non-defective returned products AND canceling orders that are in production are subject to a 20% restocking/cancellation charge. Shipping and handling charges on restocking return orders are also non-refundable."


I can't really help with an exhaust choice either, because I am nowhere near that stage of my build.

[McFluffybunny]

Thanks Ozzie. I don't know what we are going to do yet. I just know I'm pissed.

[NolimitZ32]

If its worth it to you, collect all the correspondence and lawyer up. but I imagine that would only be to prove you're right because the legal battle will cost you more than the exhaust. You could try small clams court but I think without explicit contract terms stating a hard delivery date and damages especially in a state like Arizona you will be SOL. sorry bud.

[DCaff300ZX]

If its worth it to you, collect all the correspondence and lawyer up. but I imagine that would only be to prove you're right because the legal battle will cost you more than the exhaust. You could try small clams court but I think without explicit contract terms stating a hard delivery date and damages especially in a state like Arizona you will be SOL. sorry bud.

I gotta agree, seems like a tough pull here since they have such restrictive and protective policies stated.
Best result here is we all now know to avoid Billy Boat Exhaust (I probably would never consider anyway because of the name, plus I have exhausts made and not bought complete) as another of those "avoid these guys" vendors.

[NolimitZ32]

Billy Boat is B&B, they make some of the nicest OTS exhaust stuff for our cars but I've never heard of anyone dealing with them directly. they are available through a umber of vendors though.

[McFluffybunny]

I went with BBE after reading about their build quality on other forums and hearing some sound clips. I love the sound!!! The only reason I ordered directly from their site was I wanted oval black tips and couldn't find them from a vendor.

An update on the order....... I talked to Billy yesterday. The reason for the delay was a large number of Corvette orders due to a Corvette show somewhere. That put them behind and then Billy's brother (and shop manager) passed away last week. I guess that led to some mix ups in scheduling and further delays. All I asked is that they communicate better when a deadline won't be met. Well Billy made it right and I feel like a d!ck. I should have it by Friday....... I hope.

[NolimitZ32]

Glad to hear you go it worked out, its refreshing to see a vendor/fabricator doing the right thing since so many these days don't. Communication seems to be a huge problem for a lot of people, sad but in the world of email and sms where communication has become so much easier it feels like people have forgotten how to communicate.

[DCaff300ZX]

I went with BBE after reading about their build quality on other forums and hearing some sound clips. I love the sound!!! The only reason I ordered directly from their site was I wanted oval black tips and couldn't find them from a vendor.

An update on the order....... I talked to Billy yesterday. The reason for the delay was a large number of Corvette orders due to a Corvette show somewhere. That put them behind and then Billy's brother (and shop manager) passed away last week. I guess that led to some mix ups in scheduling and further delays. All I asked is that they communicate better when a deadline won't be met. Well Billy made it right and I feel like a d***. I should have it by Friday....... I hope.

That's good news, although I assumed you would have already tried the personal approach first and met resistance that left you in the state you were in.
I totally agree that communication is a problem these days, but it isn't only "their fault" if you don't try it yourself until later on. It allows you to feel cheated and ignored when in reality, as you found, there are circumstances beyond control that arise and sometimes you have to do your part to make the original thing happen.
This is the primary reason that I NEVER order car parts from online order forms and will contact all vendors directly if possible to ensure my order is correctly taken, prices and possible sale prices discussed as well as their current workload. This way you may be informed of the Corvette scenario and the possibility of a small wait, and then also have a direct communication route when/if something happens as was the case.

[Woodnutz78]

Ditto... like 1000x, to Nolimit's and DCaff's comments on communication. I live that hell day in and day out at my job - "Well, I sent an email to this guy...." Makes you want to slap somebody. While the methods of communication are as easy as possible, effective communication is a skill that still must be learned/taught. Trust me, I'm not a phone-talker type person, but speaking human-to-human in real-time can do wonders. In regards to our cars, especially considering their rarity, it's important to follow that principle - for instance, I've spoken with Jonathan at SZ and he was quick to point out that it's best to call to discuss what you need to make sure you get hooked up correctly. It's just a means to eliminate the potential for errors, and of course, sometimes, life just happens. Definitely glad you got things worked out.

[McFluffybunny]

Well I tried to email the company with no reply. I did call the customer service number on the cite. That number will put you in touch with Ernest who was no help and very rude. The last time I got through to Ernest, I had to block my number because he wouldn't answer my calls. I did some googling of the web and found Billy's personal cell number. That's the only way I could get this mess sorted out. In the end I still ended up waiting over a month but it is what I wanted. I learned my lesson, talk to a human when ordering something.